Gilbert, Iowa
16 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1912 and the latest in 1993. It stands in Franklin Township. It lies in ZIP code area 50105. The Survey maps it on the Ames West quadrangle. 1,211 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 991 feet above sea level.
On record in Gilbert
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 1 record
Keigley Branch Bridgelisted 1998
Population over time
2 figuresGilbert grew from 1,082 to 1,211 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 1,082 | |
| 2020 | 1,211 | +129 (+12%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
7 surveys from 16 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1912 USGS Ames quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1914 USGS Ames quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1954 USGS Waterloo quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1955 USGS Waterloo quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1975 USGS Ames West quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1985 USGS Ames quadrangle1:100000
- 1993 USGS Ames quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
35 since 2009Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 35 fires within 5 miles of Gilbert between 2009 and 2020, burning about 130 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 34 |
| Debris and open burning | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 September 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 11 September 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 10 July 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 1 July 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 12 June 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 9 May 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | 2134 QUAIL RIDGE RD, AMES, IA |
| 8 May 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | 615 ROOKWOD DR., AMES, IA |
| 17 May 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
8 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 8 workings within 5 miles of Gilbert: 5 past producers, 3 producers. 3 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Stone, Crushed/Broken, Limestone, Dimension. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Onion Creek Quarries | Limestone, Dimension | Past Producer | ||
| Ames Mine | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Ames Mine | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Ames Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Blancher Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Jorden Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Peterson Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
44 since 1998Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Gilbert in 44 storm reports between 1998 and 2025: 16 hail, 10 thunderstorm wind, 9 heavy rain, 5 flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2015 | Flood | Gilbert | $250,000 | The South Skunk River at Ames W. Riverside Road crested at 17.10 feet on 29 August 2015 at 5:45 PM CDT. |
| May 1998 | Hail | Gilbert | $100,000 | no account filed |
| March 2017 | Tornado (EF0) | Gilbert | $75,000 | Tornado continued from Boone County into Story County. The tornado produced tree and shed damage southwest of Gilbert before downing power lines just west of Gilbert. Additional tree and outbuilding damage occurred as the tornado raced northeast with an intermittent track. |
| June 2018 | Flood | Gilbert | $50,000 | The South Skunk River at Ames on US 30 crested at 22.93 feet on 15 June 2018 at 17:00 UTC. |
| August 2015 | Flood | Gilbert | $50,000 | Law Enforcement reported a water rescue near Squaw Creek on W 190th St just west of 510th St in Story County. Car pushed downstream with one person stranded for over 75 minutes on top of vehicle. No injuries reported. |
| December 2015 | Flood | Gilbert | $50,000 | The South Skunk River crested at 13.22 feet on 15 December 2015 at 15:15 UTC. |
| May 1998 | Hail | Gilbert | $50,000 | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Flash Flood | Gilbert | $25,000 | Water was over the road at 170th and 530th. |
| May 1998 | Hail | Gilbert | $20,000 | no account filed |
| July 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gilbert | $10,000 | Tree damage reported and yard tables moved. |
| April 2014 | Hail | Gilbert | $10,000 | no account filed |
| June 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gilbert | $5,000 | Law enforcement reported trees down in Gilbert. |
| June 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gilbert | $5,000 | Two foot diameter tree blown down across 180th St east of 550th Ave. |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gilbert | $5,000 | Three inch diameter tree branches down. |
| July 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gilbert | $5,000 | Hail one half inch in diameter in addition to the wind. |
| April 2002 | Hail | Gilbert | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gilbert | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gilbert | $3,000 | Large tree 10 to 15 inches in diameter, along with power lines down in the town of Gilbert. |
| May 1998 | Hail | Gilbert | $1,000 | no account filed |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gilbert | - | Gust measured on personal weather station. |
| July 2025 | Tornado (EFU) | Gilbert | - | Tornado continued from Boone County into Story County, remaining in cropland. Satellite imagery and drone imagery provided by emergency management helped to refine the path. No damage occurred to damage indicators, thus the unknown rating. |
| July 2024 | Heavy Rain | Gilbert | - | Report of 3.5 inches of rain storms total north of McFaland Park. |
| May 2023 | Hail | Gilbert | - | Penny sized hail. |
| August 2022 | Heavy Rain | Gilbert | - | A 24 hour rainfall total of 3.69 inches. |
| August 2022 | Heavy Rain | Gilbert | - | A 24 hour rainfall total of 3.99 inches. |
| June 2022 | Heavy Rain | Gilbert | - | A 24 hour rain total of 3.80 inches. |
| June 2022 | Heavy Rain | Gilbert | - | A 24 hour rain total of 3.04 inches. |
| June 2022 | Hail | Gilbert | - | Report via social media from the interstate 35 rest area. Time estimated by radar. |
| December 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gilbert | - | Trained spotter estimated 70 mph winds. |
| July 2020 | Hail | Gilbert | - | A trained spotter reported quarter sized hail at the intersection of E18 and R38 northwest of Gilbert. |
| August 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gilbert | - | A trained spotter reported 70 mph wind gusts. |
| March 2019 | Flood | Gilbert | - | The South Skunk River at West Riverside Ames crested at 13.97 feet on 15 March 2019 at 00:30 UTC. |
| June 2018 | Hail | Gilbert | - | Trained spotter reported penny sized hail. |
| June 2018 | Funnel Cloud | Gilbert | - | Trained spotter, via the Emergency Manager, reported a funnel cloud that may have touched down. This is a delayed report. |
| July 2018 | Heavy Rain | Gilbert | - | CoCoRaHS observer recorded heavy rainfall of 2.41 inches over the last 24 hours. |
| September 2016 | Heavy Rain | Gilbert | - | CoCoRaHS observer reported heavy rainfall of 3.25 inches over the last 24 hours. |
| September 2016 | Heavy Rain | Gilbert | - | CoCoRaHS observer reported heavy rainfall of 3.30 inches over the last 24 hours. |
| August 2015 | Heavy Rain | Gilbert | - | CoCoRaHS observer reported heavy rainfall of 4.20 inches over the last 24 hours. |
| May 2023 | Hail | Gilbert | - | no account filed |
| May 2023 | Hail | Gilbert | - | no account filed |
| May 2023 | Hail | Gilbert | - | no account filed |
| March 2023 | Hail | Gilbert | - | no account filed |
| May 2014 | Hail | Gilbert | - | no account filed |
| May 2003 | Hail | Gilbert | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homestead Colony | 2.3 miles | 16 | |
| Zenorsville | 3.6 miles | 16 | |
| Bloomington | 4.8 miles | 16 | |
| Ontario | 5.2 miles | 16 | |
| Ames | 5.2 miles | 16 | |
| Story City | 6.2 miles | 15 | |
| Roland | 8.8 miles | 15 | |
| Kelley | 10.8 miles | 11 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Gilbert | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q1933135 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 456899. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.






